Tips for Interview Success
Interview Tips for a Successful Interview
A job interview can be both stressful and exciting. How you handle both of these reactions can affect the results of your interview. The following tips for interview success will help you prepare for a job interview and hopefully land your dream job.
Job Interview Guide Books
Prepare for Job Interview with This Job Interview Advice
First and one of the most important job interview tips is to make sure not to be late. Not only that, but arrive at your job interview about fifteen minutes early. Be sure to leave in plenty of time if you don't know exactly where your job interview location will be. Map out an exact route on the internet if you don't have GPS. It is even a good idea to go ahead and drive the route just to make sure it is accurate. And give yourself time for unplanned obstacles, such as an auto accident or road construction.
Be clean-cut and well shaven from your head to your toes. Your hair should look neat. Your hands should be neatly manicured. Avoid extremely long fingernails or wild nail polish. Shoes should be shined, clean and have no scuffs. Of course, for rare jobs these appearance policies do not apply. But you probably know if your particular job allows you to show up looking beyond the norm.Try to be as calm and relaxed as possible during your job interview. It can be difficult not to appear nervous. However, extreme nervousness can be misread as immaturity or lack of confidence. Try to avoid nervous habits such as biting or drumming fingernails, tapping your feet, or looking constantly at the clock.One of the best ways to make a good first impression at a job interview is with the handshake. Give a firm handshake, but don't shake hands so tightly as to cause pain. Also grip the entire hand, not just the fingers. Smile warmly at the interviewer while shaking hands. This gives a strong display of self-confidence, but doesn't appear arrogant.Job Interview Guide for Answering Interview Questions
Be sure to look directly at the interviewer when answering interview questions and while listening. Stay attentive. Make eye contact. Don't constantly look away during your job interview. This seems as if you are being dishonest, even if you are just nervous.
Answer interview questions honestly. Try to phrase answers in a positive light. If you were fired at your last job, admit it. You have a better chance of landing a job by admitting to it yourself than the interviewer finding out another way.If you had a negative experience at your last job, avoid talking negatively about the company or its managers. This will almost guarantee you won't get the job. Try to think of a way to explain your past job situation in the best light without using personal attacks.The above is true of the entire job interview. Keep a positive attitude and give positive answers regardless of the job interview topics. Even phrase interview answers to negatively phrased questions in an upbeat, but honest way. Avoid at all costs a negative attitude, especially toward questions about your previous or current employer.It helps to do some research in advance about the company. When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, be sure to use some of this information to phrase interview questions about the company in which you are interested. For example, "Your company helps pay for college tuition expenses. Does this include any type of classes?"Job Interview Tips - One of the Most Effective Job Interview Techniques
A little known secret for a successful job interview is body language. Be sure not to send out any negative signals. Don't cross your arms. Lean in when answering interview questions.
One of the most effective tips for interview success is to mirror your interviewer. This means to copy your interviewer's gestures. If he leans back in his chair, lean back in yours. If she crosses her legs, cross yours. Just don't be obvious about it or you will just annoy him or her. Wait about a minute after your interviewer to copy the gesture. And be certain that you are mirroring positive body language, not negative!
More Tips for Interview Success - After the Interview
Another important job interview tip for a successful interview is for after the interview. Your work is not yet over. Be sure to send a short thank-you letter to the interviewer for his time. This may be the clincher that prompts an interviewer to choose you if he was trying to narrow down an employment decision.